The complete idiot’s guide to Mideast peace – part 167

Palestinians threaten to join International Criminal Court over Gaza | The Times of Israel  ‘If Operation Protective Edge continues, we will head to Hague-based court ‘sooner rather than later,’ PLO official Hanan Ashrawi says’

Can this ever be a good move for either party here and which side would receive the greatest benefit from the blizzard of claims, counterclaims and general recrimination that must then follow?

And yet, is there not an obvious need for some worldwide adjudication in the matter, a situation so constant and intractable that it has gone without challenge, resolution or result for every one of the last 66 years?

There are, of course, some reservations to be addressed before going down this route.

The law’s delay:

Verdicts might takes ages to arrive and even when they did, appeals, injunctions and a myriad number of delaying tactics could then tie up the whole process for who knows how long. And justice delayed, as in so many cases, often turns out to be justice denied.

The law’s enforcement:

How could judgements be put into effect when the nation or community so penalised might simply ignore all requests to comply with the sentences handed down?

The law’s impartiality:

In a world where views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict range from extreme bias towards one side or the other to almost no feelings at all, what criteria could guarantee fair hearing, dispassionate debate and confident pronouncement on the guilt or innocence of all the accused?

Well, this should cater quite admirably for each of these concerns and then get things up to speed in the fastest manner possible.

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